STOCKTON - Outside the tidy east Stockton bungalow, the lawn was freshly mown and an infant lemon tree basked in the sun.

Inside, on a sparkling Monday afternoon, a mother wept.

Less than 72 hours earlier, the mother's youngest child, 30-year-old Francisco Erubey Sanchez, had been shot to death in front of the downtown cinema complex.

The passage of nearly three days had done little to ease the pain of the woman, who asked not to be identified.

"He loved to read books," the grieving woman said in Spanish through a translator. "He just wanted to help others."

Sanchez, relatives said, was a Franklin High School dropout and the father of a 5-year-old boy who lives with the victim's estranged wife.

"He went to counselors and was trying to find aid to deal with depression," said a cousin of Sanchez's who also asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. "At the last moment, he got a job and started to get on his feet. And then this from out of nowhere came from underneath."

Officer Joseph Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, said the investigation is still active and the department is following up on some leads, but no suspect has been identified.

Sanchez's family members say he went to dinner with friends Friday night. Police said the shooting stemmed from an argument that turned into a fight under the dome at the movie complex. A third party pulled out a gun and shot Sanchez several times, police reported.

Monday, a small memorial shrine of blue and green flowers and memorial candles marked the area where Sanchez died. Asked to speak of her son, his mother at first said, "I don't want to." But then she did.

"He had a big heart," she said. "He was happy. He liked to make jokes."

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377, the Investigations Unit at (209) 937-8323 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. Callers can remain anonymous.

Cellphone users can text information to 274637 (CRIMES) by entering the keyword "TIPSPD" followed by their tip. Internet users can visit the Police Department's Facebook page and click "Submit a Tip."

Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or rphillips@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/phillipsblog and on Twitter @rphillipsblog.